And This I Swear
by Ikaaro
Summary: Outsiders, and even the Sheikah who do not directly serve the family are not meant to know the secrets haunting the halls of the castle. But as the Princess nears her coronation, who does she really consider an outsider?
1. Once Upon A Time

**And This I Swear**

Summary: the Royal Family of Hyrule has alwats been enshrouded in a dark mystery, often only known to the King or Queen. Outsiders, and even the Sheikah who do not directly serve the family are not meant to know the secrets haunting the halls of the castle. But as the Princess nears her coronation, who does she really consider an outsider?

Chapter One: _Once Upon A Time_

Lor: wewt! New fanfic!

Link: your scripting for this one makes me a little nervous.

Zelda: I agree

Lor: oh jeez, you make it sound like I wrote a PWP.

Link: you've written one!?

Lor: mebbe...do my disclaimer already -.-;;

Navi: Lor doesn't own Legend of Zelda. She does however have her own shining copy of Twilight Princess!

Lor: (siiigh) Such a pretty, pretty, amazing and wonderful, amazing game...

Navi: LISTEN!! On to chapter one!

It was a chilly winter evening that night in Hyrule, snow blanketed the fields and the air was so still and crisp that it hurt to inhale deeply. Candlelight shone out from windows in the town market, and despite the distance Link noted light from the castle windows as well. He wore, as always, the green clothes that made him known, but made of thicker, heavier materials to endure the temporary cold of Hyrulian winter. Snow crunched beneath his brown leather boots as he made his way through the town and toward the castle. Perhaps it was a little late for him to just drop in, but he didn't think that he would be staying long. If she had the time for him, he'd come back in the morning.

The small glow of Navi beneath his hat shivered. "Link, are we there yet? I'm cold." He stopped and pulled off one of his gauntlets to unbutton his tunic. Lifting yp his hat, he caught the little fairy in his hand. With a soft smile he settled her against his chest and rebuttoned it. Navi glowed a slightly pinker shade as Link began to walk again.

"Is that better?" he inquired gently. "Sorry I didn't think of that earlier."

"I'm good!" she chirped happily, snuggling against the warmth of his chest.

"That's good," Link chuckled, pulling his hat over his pointed ears. "I don't want you getting sick." He knew quite well though, that fairies never got sick, no matter how cold they were.

The gate outside the castle grounds was locked, probably even frozen, and Link did not want to go through the formalities associated with asking the guards to open it for him. He drew out his sword and began to climb the hills around the gate. By the time he reached the castle, stars were peeking out. With his hands on his waist he stared as his usual frozen entrance, biting his bottom lip.

"This...poses a slight challenge..." He stared for a moment longer before walking toward the front gate. _I suppose I will have to go through all the formalities..._ Link thought with a sigh. The knoghts staring down from the walls barely acknowledged him as he slide across the frozen water and through the partially opened gate. He smiled and gave a small wave to the man guarding the door.

"Good evening, Sir Maurice," he greeted. "You haven't changed a bit."

A small smile creeped out of the old man's weathered face. "Nice to see you too, Mister Link. You've grown several inches since your last visit, I see. Here to see the Princess again?"

Putting a finger to his lips, Link smiled. "Shh, let's keep it a surprise."

"Mum's the word," the soldier promised, looking away as Link walked past. His light steps were not audible as he walked through the mostly empty corridors, avoiding other soldiers so as not to land the kind Sir Maurice in any trouble for allowing him to just go through. Standing outside the Princess' room were two guards. Unbuttoning his tunic to let Navi out, he gestured toward the end of the hall. After zipping around one of the guards, she flew to the end of the hall and disappeared. They both followed.

Now that the coast was clear Link knocked on the door. "Come in," she called, not in the high voice he remembered, but the mature, sweeter voice of a young woman. He pushed the door open slowly, closing it gently. Leaving a small space for Navi when she returned, he stepped toward the bedroom. Through the thin silk curtain he watched her pull on a robe, catching his mind before it wandered off to wonder what she was wearing beneath. A look of surpise crossed her featuers as he revealed himself. He didn't forget to notice the slightly rose colour surfacing on her cheeks.

"I...I wasn't expecting you..." she said uncertainly, before relaxing and smiling softly. "I'm starting to question your quarterly visits, Link."

Shrugging, he took off his hat and set down his weapons. "I don't want to bother you or your father with frequent visits. How have you been?" He sat next to her as she sat on the corner of her bed.

"I'm alright but my father...has been ill as of late." Zelda didn't look at him, instead she stared out the window. "I'm sure he'll get well once the spring cmes." She turned toward him, a fainter smile on her lips. "And what have you been keeping busy with, Link?" Although he was subtle, Zelda watching his hand move to her far shoulder.

"Not much..." He looked away from her gaze as he pulled her closer. "Adventuring, saving the world, helping cats down from trees, nothing new."

"I missed you," she told him quietly, earnestly. "You're not very good at keeping in touch."

"Yes but you'll forgive me, won't you?" he asked softly in return, voice slightly huskier than it had been moments ago. She moved a little coser, lifting her chin the slightest. Link turned his downward. they were close enough that each breath made their skin tingle.

"Of...course," Zelda replied belatedly, putting one hand on his chest. Link caught her lips with his before she spoke another word. The princess didn't object, in fact she often felt that these moments did not come fast enough during his brief visits. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed her against him tightly. _For now, I will pretend I am not the future queen...for now I will pretend I am the lucky, normal girl you wish to spend you life with,_ she thought as his hands roamed, both stopping on her back.

While Link was by no means a pervert, he often found himself wishing she was not a princess. Her father would see him dead if anything happened between them._ You are my princess...in this moment I will forget that..._

They pulled apart, glancing shyly at each other, breathing heavily and knowing this was as far as they would ever go and as close ans they could ever get.

"Maybe I should leave," Link mumbled, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Don't you dare." Zelda peered up at him. "I don't want you to leave yet."

Link's soft smile grew to a slight grin. "You just can't live without me, Princess."

Zelda tilted her head up once more, brushing her lips against his teasingly as she smiled sardonically in return. "You only desire, mister Hero."

The title changed the mood of the situation almost immediately. "Is it always going to be like this?" Link leaned over her, moving so quickly that she held onto the sleeve of his tunic. The quick joking mood had fased and he looked down into her dark blue eyes seriously. The look killed her.

"What else can we do? No matter what the peopl surmise, I'll be expected to marry some politically powerful man..."

"Share his bed and bear his kid, I know, but I'd much prefer you having an older brother or sister. Or maybe run away, with me."

"Link..." She disliked this conversation. He watched her, and she looked away. Against his gently grasp she stood up and walked away, to the large glass doors leading to her balcony. Stepping up, he followed her outside to the cold. Wrapping his strong arms around her. he searched for something to say. A meteorite struck across the black, starry sky, and Link tightened his embrace.

"Make a wish, Princess," he whispered against her silky hair.

_I wish for the strength to find the freedom I seek._

-End


	2. In This Ancient World

And This I Swear

**Chapter Two:** _In This Ancient World_

Lor:D Yay Link x Zelda!

Link: you know, I really --

Lor: shut up.

Link: yes ma'am.

Zelda: I don't think I can get away with this...

Lor: stop questioning my godliness. Do the disclaimer! (twitch)

Navi: Lor doesn't own Legend of Zelda. She does own the world.

Lor: damn right I do.

Link: glad I'm not part of that world.

Lor: I have fangirls. And I WILL use them.

Link: let's...just move on to chapter two then... (sweatdrop)

(A/N: the italicized stuff near the bottom is a flashback, which will be posted as a one-shot later on.)

It was close to midnight when Link was guided out the castle (by his ear, no less) by Impa. As she always did, she treated him like a child and not the adult he was. As he walked past the magnificent castle, he waved up to Zelda's window. He knew she couldn't see him, but the feeling was still there. He found Navi waiting for him at the inn, floating close to the bright lamp kept all night long.

"You take too long," she pouted, before finding her place beneath his hat. "I was so boooooooooored..."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," he replied with a small smile. "Let's go get some sleep." He paid for his room at the front desk, before heading upstairs. His sword and shield were the first thing to hit the floor; he set them down beside the bed. Boots came second, and those he lazily set aside on the rug. He tossed his hat down, then his belt. He peeled away his tunic, and standing only in his breeches Link lay back on the bed. With one arm behind his head, he closed his eyes as Navi settled next to him on the pillow.

After a moment of silence, she couldn't take it anymore. "So what did she say?" Navi pressed. As Link's best friend, she often demanded (and required) the details of his visits.

His soft, happy smile didn't fade. "The same as last time. Maybe I should give up." Link wasn't wearing the expression of someone ready to let go.

Navi, always having to be right, hmphed. "Why don't you just ask her?"

Opening his cobalt eyes, he stared up at the ceiling. "First I need to chase off whoever wants to marry her. I don't see why she has to marry some dumb prince." With his free hand he slashed at the air. "Maybe, if I wasn't an..."

"Don't even say that!" Navi's glow had turned crimson. "You're wrong and you know it!"

Defeated, Link sighed. "Okay. I'm sorry...good night..."

- - -

The next morning was rather cloudy, snowing off and on. Link slept late, and didn't stay long. As soon as he finished eating, he left. He made a stop by a couple of stores, to purchase more bombs and arrows. Strange creatures occupied Hyrule Field in the winter and he wanted to be prepared. Any number of accidents could happen to travelers, and Link, often the only person who would travel around the entire area in a couple of days, was the one to find such travelers. On his way out, he stopped in front of the Happy Mask Shop. He hadn't been inside there in years...what harm could a small visit now be?

Before the door had closed behind him Link remembered why he hadn't visited the shop in years. The salesman hadn't aged a bit, had that same, crazy, all-knowing smile on his face, and probably another mask trading mission for Link. _I should have stayed outside, I do this every time..._

With a sigh he stepped toward the counter. There was no backing out now.

The salesman greeted him cheerfully. "Ah, long time no see," he said, grinning like a fool. "Here for the Winter Festival?" He chuckled as Link stared at him confused, then remembered. "You haven't forgotten have you? Are you bringing the princess this year?"

His blue eyes narrowed. "How did you..." Link cut himself off abruptly, shaking his head. "Nevermind. I don't need to know."

Laughing some more, the salesman raised a finger to tell Link to wait as he moved to the back of his shop. Navi took the opportunity to reveal herself.

"Link! We're going to be stuck in this shop for hours with another story! Hurry up and leave as soon as he says what he wants!" she cried. Link's last visit had cost two very valuable hours he was supposed to be using to travel toward Lake Hylia, where he was going to meet several Zora.

She hid quickly behind him as the man returned, a long, rectangular box in his hand. "I found these some time ago, and was waiting for you to come in again," he began, as he lifted the lid. "I thought that it suited you and the young lady."

Laying before him were two masks. They reminded him of Anju and Kafei's wedding masks back in Termina. Both were designed to cover the top half of the face. Link looked at the one on the left. Clearly a men's mask, with was covered with fine black cloth, with gold embroidery. In the center, just above the bridge of the nose, was a clear diamond cut gem of red glass.

On the right was a lady's mask, black also, but with silver embroidery. Styled much the same, however it was more slender and the gem in the center was blue.

"How much did you want for them?" he asked quietly. "And what kind of masks are they?"

The salesman smiled, as if he had been waiting for that question. "Just a couple's set of masks, though not the kind you would wear to a Termina wedding." He paused for a moment. "And they're a gift, if you promise to give it to the right girl."

Staring up flatly, Link pointed to the masks. "...they're cursed, aren't they?"

"What kind of man do you take me for?" That smile didn't fade one bit. Link _hated _that. "I've gotten out of that sort of trade. What with what happened last time."

Link knew that well.

"But..."

There was _always _a catch.

"If you give it to the wrong lady..."

Here it came, the part about the curse...

"They say that you will never find true love." He clasped his hands. "Of course, that's all if you believe or not. You are coming to the Festival this year, aren't you?"

There was no escape. "Yeah, I guess I'll stay in town a couple more days."

"Wonderful!" He placed the lid on the box and handed it gently to Link. "I trust your judgement. I hope to see you tonight." He chuckled as Link left the store.

"Bad things are going to happen, aren't they?" he sighed to his fairy companion as he walked beneath a ladder. "That's what always happens. 'I'll return your body to normal, but you have to get me my _god-moding mask _from a _power-hungry imp!_'" he mocked, rolling his eyes. Navi hadn't been there, of course, but it was certainly an experience he wouldn't like to repeat.

"Link, wait!" Of all the years of him listening to her commands and directions, she did a terrible job of returning the gesture. She hovered in front of a clothing shop. "Should we get Zelda plain clothes? We can send it to Impa."

"_Because I know her measurements,_" Link added sarcastically, although the fairy had a point.

"Well you should, your hands are on her enough!" retorted Navi hotly. He looked like he was about to defend himself, before dropping his shoulders.

"Yeah...well..." He scuffed snow with his boots. She had him on that one. Making him sound like a pervert...

"If she's dressed as a peasant, the measurements won't be perfect anyway." Quite the mother hen, Navi ushered him inside, to look at some of the dresses on display. The light blue one that she chose wasn't quite the working class standard Link was looking for, but it was quite the step down from the expensive silks she wore on a daily basis.

"This way it's her favourite colour, and matches the mask," Navi pointed out, before moving toward the few men's tunics. "Link, buy the grey one here. Wait." Grey didn't match gold, what was she thinking? "The black one?"

Skeptically, Link put his free hand on his waist. "The only Link that wears black, won't be me."

"Fine. Dark blue."

As if Link didn't find the price expensive enough as was. Along with the hundred rupees for the clothing, he ended up paying an extra twenty five to have her's wrapped with the mask. "Would you like a tag?" the taylor inquired.

Link nodded. "But I'll write the note."

As he left the store, he shot Navi a look. "I have two other tunics buried in my house in the woods. Did I really need another one?"

"You're the city do-gooder. You gotta look a little different too."

He was running out of witty comments. "Whatever you want." He found the post-man some time later, defining just how important it was that this reach the bodyguard, Impa. As the duty-bound man ran off to finish his work, Link turned back toward the inn. Now he'd wait.

When the package arrived for Impa, she regarded it suspiciously. Zelda put down the rapier she had been training with, and walked over to see what it was.

"It's for you," she said cooly, passing the box over as she read the writing. "That boy certainly isn't very sneaky."

"Link, you mean?" Tossing her hair back over her shoulder, she lifted the box cover. She curiously looked over the map, and then pulled out the clothing beneath. A small piece of paper fell out.

_If you're not too busy, maybe you'd like to see the Festival with me tonight? I'll be by the second window to the left, after eight._

_-Link_

Her face lit up considerably, and she folded the dress, and placed everything neatly back in the box. He remembered, he hadn't taken her to the festival since a moblin snuck into the city several years before. She looked up to Impa imploringly. "May I go? Please? I won't get into unecessary trouble this time, I promise!"

The body-guard's face didn't change. "Your father is very ill right now. Should you be leaving the castle, if his fever raises up again?"

Zelda fell silent. Impa had a point, she should be thinking of her father, not herself. "I know. It was foolish of me to act like a little girl."

The heartbreak in her voice could wear down anyone, and this included Impa. "I feel more like a nursemaid than a guard when you get like this..." A soft smile graced her sharp, hard features. "I will keep my ears open about changes. If his health declines in the slightest, you are to return home the moment I come to find you."

She was almost surprised by how quickly Zelda's mood brightened. "Really? Do you mean that?" Impa nodded. She lifted up her sword and blew dust from the blade.

"However, it isn't eight. Let us continue."

It was quite easy to see a notable change in the princess' demeanor as she finished off the afternoon. She spent much of it in the library, humming to herself and pretending to read her texts. She thought back ten years, the winter before her tenth birthday. The daughter of a maid, whom she'd befriended, spoke to her of the many things she intended to do for the next few nights after the beginning of the Winter Festival.

Despite being the very loved, and very esteemed, Princess of Hyrule, she never had heard of the Festival. What kind of princess didn't know the festivals of her country?

She boldly went to her father that night, demanding to be allowed to see this so-called festival. It had been the wrong approach, as he quickly grew angry. According to Impa, his temper had always been a great deal shorter since the death of her mother.

He was the King, though, and he had no end to his arguments. He was simply too busy to take her. She was a target for thieves, he couldn't put her in danger. It was too late to arrange anything for their arrival. It was too cold. Frolicking around with the people was unbecoming of a young princess. He was her father and she would do as she was told.

As Impa escorted her away to her room, it appeared that Link (who had come for a visit and snowball fight) had heard the whole argument. He cleverly came back after sunset, to find her crying by herself in her room.

_He kidnapped me,_ she thought with a smile. _And took me to the festival._

It had been one of the best times of her life. Of course, Impa caught them (when did Impa ever not know Zelda's whereabouts?), and took her back home. She didn't quite remember the chastising she had received, however it was the morning after she realized just what she and the young hero really did have in common.

_"Because I know how it feels when you can't do things because you're a little different," he protested stubbornly. "It's not fair."_

_She was the happiest she'd ever been when Impa's stone-faced expression wore away. "Alright young man. Your apology is accepted." _

The guardian had kept the secret ever since, probably one of few personal secrets she allowed the girl to keep. _That's why this festival is so important to us..._ Zelda closed her eyes and sighed. _It's my only freedom...to live like other girls..._

She set down the book on a nearby table as she was called down for dinner --another lonesome dinner with her guardian. As she closed the door of the library behind her, she looked down at the Goddesses' mark on her left hand.

_The only time I feel happy with my destiny._

/End

Well, the fanfic is pretty new so I was surprised to have two reviews! So here's a little shout-out!

**X Piastol X:** _haha no, probably not. Maybe. I don't know. Haven't thought that far yet XD. Glad you like, here's the update!_

**Cho 17:** _Yeah, the rest of the chapters will be longer. I like to keep my first chapters pretty introductory, but I'm glad you like. I don't have MS Word, but this time I'll proof before I post (heart)_


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